Search - The Strange One on DVD

Power is perverting people

Jacques COULARDEAU | OLLIERGUES France | 04/26/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Ben Gazzara is a perfect bully in a military academy. He uses his position of authority to settle his own accounts with one cadet, the son of the major of the academy, and the major himself. He terrorizes and crushes the freshmen cadets in all possible ways to achieve his own end which is pure domination. The interest of the film is the unanimous rebellion among the cadets and their final treatment of the bully they exclude from the academy after making him sign a confession of his « crimes ». The best part in the role is the fact that the bully always assumes an aristocratic stand and not a purely violent attitude. He dominates like a feudal squire or baron of old and he always manages to enwrap other people in his own acts so that he can blackmail them into lying and silence. But the final treatment reveals him to be nothing but a coward, afraid of suffering and frightened by the perspective of losing his power just as if his power was the only thing he could hold on, he needed to be anything, to respect himself. Power corrupts, it's true, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.Dr Jacques COULARDEAU"

Superb

mathew nicholls (matt-nicholls@xtra | Wellington New Zealand | 10/07/1999

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This would be one of the best movies of this era I have seen, Ben Gazzara is as hilariously evil as ever. I hate to think how many times I have watched this movie."

Under the covers and in the closet!

John S. Lasher | Broken Hill, NSW, Australia | 05/08/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Power-house performances here. One can't imagine better ensemble acting. This was Peppard's first film. Not only is he extremely easy on the eyes (you read between the lines), he could also act in an effortless sort of way. Gazzara was never better. The homoerotic subtext holds up well today. Great cinematography and music by the under-appreciated Kenyon Hopkins.

Due for a Blu-ray upgrade."

The Strange one

Natwest Master Card | London -United kingdom | 07/24/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"an excellent movie, long out of circulation. This restored version - from the previously cut release- makes more sense of the story and is in more in depth and satisfying."